in my opinion (that you do not have to agree with!), truly "Good [interesting, compelling, complex, fun] Ships" revolve around an invented dynamic that acknowledges canon characterization and bends it to create new, interesting takes on all characters involved.

they're made of love for the character, the universe in which they exist, and individual analysis of their traits, flaws, strengths, and so on, to the fan's preference. i wholeheartedly encourage the rejection of fanon and the use of canon as a springboard for your own ideas. the source material exists to be picked apart and made to suit your own imagination! thus is the point of transformative works in the first place!

ships can be made interesting with the help of:

• love! letting your adoration for these characters/franchises shine through! this is the most important!
• understanding of canonical characterization; this doesn't mean you have to Biblically Follow it! it's just a good idea to know as much as you can! we can't have headcanons without the... canon!
• emphasis on solo characterization; they exist as individuals before they exist together!
• thinking critically about the politics, setting, and motivations of those around them. all of these things affect a character's writing!
• and so on!

they are not defined by:

• tropes; these exist to bolster characters/plots, not solely define them!
• canonical legitimacy; plenty of ships are canon and objectively Uninteresting, so why does it matter if it's canon!
• fandom popularity; sometimes it's deserved, sometimes it's not. decide for yourself!
• moral alignment; "good guys should only date good guys", force-aligning morally gray characters to be Good Or Evil, etc. stop robbing characters of their depth for the sake of wanting them to kiss!
• and so on!

i also fully concede that for some people it "isn't that serious". i half-agree; shipping in and of itself is not serious, but the analysis of media, to me, is! it's very fun for me, it's how i unwind, it's a hobby! i show love to these franchises by picking them apart down to the atoms and adding sex and romance and whatever else might please me! :-)

there are plenty of interpretations of my favorite ships that i do not like, but i don't hold that against the ship itself; i prefer to take it on a case-by-case basis. a lot of my favorite ships would be deemed "unhealthy" or "toxic", but i don't personally think of them that way. i enjoy angst, gray morality and conflict; it's part of good storytelling! however, i don't believe that these phrases should be automatically conflated with things like rape or abuse.

i am a villain enjoyer, but not a villain condoner; thinking analytically about them is what makes me really enjoy them. i firmly believe that villains can retain their status as such without "headcanons" of sexual violence towards others for the erotic gratification of the reader. i won't be getting into it any further (at least not on here!), but this is a thread by a twitter user that summarizes my stance on "proshipping" and why i'm against it.

i think being open minded, thinking for yourself and not immediately writing ships off based on fanon is the key to really enjoying shipping as a whole! don't let popular headcanons take away from your thoughts of these characters, not only as a unit (ship), but on their own as well. remember that characters can't exist Together if they didn't exist Individually first!

for some more on my thoughts about writing fics and whatnot, you can check out my blog:

• Getting To Know a Character for Writing; thoughts on gathering information on a character to then turn into headcanons
• Writng Recommendations; tips for aspiring writers, what tools i use, how i outline my creative process, and more!
• Posting Fanfiction: My Process + Posting Schedule; how i avoid burnout, stay inspired, pace myself, and post fics!
• Writing Tips; taking jot-downs and discord snippets and turning them into full-fledged longfic!

i've really enjoyed coming into my own style as a writer, so if anything i do can help someone else, that would be epic! if not that's okay too though. the process is just as important as the execution!

DEAD BY DAYLIGHT;

• caleb quinn x herman carter
• the pig x the huntress
• ace visconti x felix richter

FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS;

• veronica santangelo x christine royce
• benny gecko x yes man x courier six
• veronica santangelo x courier six
• doctor dala x courier six
• beatrix russell x courier six

RESIDENT EVIL;

• albert wesker x leon kennedy x ada wong
• albert wesker x excella gionne
• rebecca chambers x billy coen
• sherry birkin x jake muller
• chris redfield x jill valentine x carlos oliveira
• claire redfield x steve burnside
• jill valentine x albert wesker

TEAM FORTRESS 2;

• medic x sniper
• spy x heavy
• administrator x miss pauling
• spy x scout's mom
• heavy x sniper x medic
• engineer x sniper x demoman
• spy x engineer

most of my interpretations of any fictional character is going to, in some way shape or form, relate back to my identity as trans butch lesbian on hrt, my relationship with my femme, and so on. i don't care what gender/sexuality you see the characters in my writing as (as in, i know i can't Force People to see these characters as lesbians and i'm not interested in discoursing about the 'validity' of butch/masc/stud he/him lesbians on t, etc) but they are written with Lesbianism in mind. because writing is an important part of how i express myself! if you can rock with that ily! i hope you enjoy my headcanons/fics!